Snail Slime Skincare Science

Snail slime is the current It Girl in skincare. It’s been used since ancient times, and was revived in South American about 20 years ago as creme or gel de caracol, with brands such as Elicina. It really took off a few years when East Asian beauty companies caught wind of it and started jamming it into everything, from eye cream to BB cream. Today I’m going to go through some of the science behind snail slime.

What is snail slime?

The snail slime used in beauty products comes from the species Cryptomphalus aspersa (which used to be known as Helix aspersa Müller), which is the humble garden snail. The slime is usually listed in ingredients lists as snail secretion filtrate.

Snails actually release several types of slime, and it’s actually the slime that’s produced when the snail is stressed that’s in the products, not the stuff that they use to lube up the ground. The slime is commercially harvested by stressing cultivated snails, such as by poking them with a stick, or by feeding them salty water. The slime is purified by filtration (hence “secretion filtrate”). The snails aren’t killed in the process since they release unwanted chemicals when they die, but it doesn’t sound particularly pleasant either!

What’s in snail slime?

Snail slime contains a complex mixture of chemicals which normally help regenerate snail cells after they’ve been injured.

The mix includes:

Glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans – sugar-based molecules which can act as humectant moisturisers

Allatoin – a soothing moisturiser

Collagen and elastin – proteins which are too big to actually get through the skin, but might have a humectant effect

Glycolic acid – chemical exfoliant and humectant

Hyaluronic acid – humectant moisturiser

Antimicrobial peptides – kill microbes

Glycoprotein enzymes, copper peptides, zinc, iron, copper and manganese – not sure if these will do much. Some copper peptides (like GHK-Cu) can do some cool things, but “copper peptides” is a super broad description.

What does it do?

From the components in snail slime, it’s pretty clear that it’s going to be a pretty hardcore humectant moisturiser. But it could potentially do more!

A few in vitro studies have found some ways that snail slime might work on skin. Firstly, it can act as an antioxidant by scavenging free radicals and increasing the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), an enzyme which disables some free radicals. It also improves the structural support holding the skin up, by increasing the production and resilience of fibroblasts, and promotes assembly of the extracellular matrix. It also reduces the amount of matrix metalloproteinase, which normally breaks down collagen.

This sounds exciting, but does it translate when we use it on actual skin?

There have been a few clinical trials on snail slime, which doesn’t sound like much, but in the world of cosmetics ingredients this is pretty impressive! However, they use small sample sizes and only one is double-blind, controlled and randomised, which means their results should be taken with a grain of salt.

The most exciting results are from conditions that you wouldn’t normally treat with over-the-counter beauty creams – radiation burns and regular burns. Snail slime made the wounds heal faster. However, a Korean study on atopic dermatitis (eczema) didn’t find that snail slime did anything spectacular.

Then we get to normal skin (albeit slightly damaged from the sun) – it improved hydration and smoothness and reduced wrinkle depth, and while it’s tempting to say that it’s improving the structure of the skin, it’s more likely that it’s mostly the added hydration.

Overall

The scientific evidence that snail slime can actually help regenerate skin, particularly with unbroken skin, is pretty scarce. But it’s likely to be an absolutely fantastic moisturiser!

Comments

I looooove snail slime. I’m using the CosRx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. I didn’t realize how much they were irritated though to harvest the slime 🙁Lexie recently posted…Review: OXX Liquid Eyeliner from Kmart

I’m not sure exactly how much, and I don’t think they’ve quantified it – it could be equivalent to a gentle tickle, it could be like a million papercuts… but I’m guessing since it’s a stress product, it’s not that pleasant for them!

i am really, really terrified of snails. I used to completely freeze up when I saw them on the ground, particularly if they’re big. This trend has been extremely disturbing for me especially having to see the pictures of snails everywhere (I very hurriedly scrolled past your pic, lol.)

I would never ever ever ever ever put this on my face EVER. Even if I had a radiation burn I would have to reconsider.Michelle recently posted…What’s in my travel pouch

Hahaha! My sister is the ABSOLUTE OPPOSITE. She LOVES snails. She used to go around as a kid collecting snails and playing with them (probably more like torture for them…). I think the last time she did it was when she was around 20. She’s such a freak!

Same for my best friend . She goes around school collecting them and she has a tank of them at home.She feeds them lettuce and when she saw a girl in our class using snail slime lip balm they’ve become worst enemies ever since

Thanks for summarizing the science on snail slime ) it’s true there isn’t enough scientific evidence, but it’s the problem we have with almost all skin care ingredients, there is just not enough money for to study everything. Theoretically, snail filtrate is very promising.
At least we know for sure that its a good moisturizer

I had assumed that snail slime was just the new pearl powder, so these studies are very interesting. It’s terribly sad that snails are slowly tortured, however. Who knew snail slime had such a science fictional edge.

Did any of the studies touch on keloid scarring? I have an itchy, raised keloid scar from a C-section, which is in a spot that is truly not acceptable to scratch in polite company, and although I try to be kind to animals I confess that I would _personally_ torture a small herd of snails to reduce the scarring when I (probably) get another C-section for B2.

I use it daily on my face, under my moisturizer, and on the back of my hands to diminish age spots (yup, works on those too). After reading some reviews, I have tried it on small oven burns and it has not only healed them quicker, but also took away the pain within 15 minutes. I haven’t (wouldn’t) try it on an open wound. I have also tried it on bruises, and they seem to break up and disappear much quicker than normal.

Trackbacks

[…] Snail Secretion Filtrate – the hero ingredient of this formula, snail secretion filtrate has been shown in studies to have moisturizing, antioxidant and healing properties, specifically with regards to wounds and photodamage (damaged caused by sun exposure), and assists in improving skin condition by improving water retention abilities, increasing production of fibroblasts and collagen and elastin fibers (source)(source)(source) […]

[…] Snail secretion filtrate is one of the cornerstone ingredients of Korean Skincare. It’s known anecdotally for its skin-repairing properties, particularly useful in healing the skin post-breakout, and more scientifically, its constituents should make it a good humectant. […]

[…] 96% SNAIL SECRETION FILTRATE Also known as snail mucus or Helix Aspersa Müller Glycoconjugates, snail secretion filtrate is known for its skin repairing properties and ability to improve the skin’s natural ability to take up and hold water. For a really, really excellent overview of snail mucus, check out Lab Muffin’s post here. […]

[…] slimes contain chemicals such as antimicrobial peptides and allantoin that act as humectant for the skin. Humectant chemicals are used in many skincare products, like FarmStay’s Snail Moisture Soothing […]

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